Editing Net operation (section)

== Structure of the net ==
Nets can be described as always having a net opening and a net closing, with a roll call normally following the net opening, itself followed by regular net business, which may include announcements, official business, and message passing. Military nets will follow a very abbreviated and opaque version of the structure outlined below, but will still have the critical elements of opening, roll call, late check-ins, and closing.

A net should always operate on the same principle as the [[Inverted pyramid (journalism)|inverted pyramid]] used in journalism—the most important communications always come first, followed by content in ever lower levels of priority.
# Net opening
## Identification of the NCS
## Announcement of the regular date, time, and frequency of the net
## Purpose of the net
# Roll call
## A call for stations to check in, oftentimes from a roster of regular stations
## A call for late check-ins (stations on the roster who did not respond to the first check-in period)
## A call for guest stations to check in
# Net business
# Optional conversion to a free net
# Net closing
Each net will typically have a main purpose, which varies according to the organization conducting the net, which occurs during the net business phase. For amateur radio nets, it's typically for the purpose of allowing stations to discuss their recent operating activities (stations worked, antennas built, etc.) or to swap equipment. For [[Military Auxiliary Radio System]] and [[National Traffic System]] nets, net business will involve mainly the passing of formal messages, known as [[Radiogram (message)|radiograms]].